Like Father, Like Son
by Chaotixfangirl 11
Summary: Little six-year-old Amanda lies sick in bed with a cold. Then, her father comes in to make her feel better, which in turn has him telling her a story. At that rate, Espio tells her of how he and his father became ninjas. A bit similar to "Tragic Memories"


Like Father, Like Son

One cloudy day, a young cat-meleon girl lied in bed, sneezing and coughing. She

blew her nose with a soft tissue, feeling horrible.

Just then, a magenta chameleon-man opened the bedroom door and slowly walked

in with a small cup in his hand. He was known as Espio. "Amanda?" he said.

The girl sniffled. "Hi, Daddy," she said and started coughing.

Espio walked up to Amanda and put his hand on her head. "Still got that cold,

huh?"

Amanda nodded.

"Aw." The male chameleon gave Amanda the cup filled with some type of medicine.

"Here, drink this."

The girl took the medicine and sipped it down.

After she was done, she gave the cup back to her father. "Thank you." She blew

her nose again.

Espio put the cup down on the nightstand and sat beside his daughter.

"Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?"

"Tell me a story."

Espio's eyes lit up. "What?"

"A story. You know, like the ones that Mommy tells me every night to put me to

sleep, except now, to help me get better."

The male chameleon hesitated. "W-well…I'm not really that much of a story teller—"

"PLEASE??" Amanda coughed again.

Her father sighed. "Alright."

Amanda smiled widely. "YAY!!"

"Let me just think of something. Hmm…" Espio began to think hard.

"Tell me one about ninjas, please."

"Ninjas, huh?" Espio finally came up with something. "Ooh, here's a good one.

Have you ever heard about the story of Dihan the Chameleon?"

Amanda shook her head. "No."

"He was a great ninja just like me. He learned all of his ninja skills from his sensei.

He was very brave, strong, and knew how to overcome many problems."

"What was his childhood like?"

"I was just getting to that."

_Flashback_

_An old komodo dragon had opened his door and spotted a young purple chameleon _

_crying on his doorstep._

"_Oh, you poor creature," said the komodo dragon, picking up the baby in his arms _

_and bringing him in the house._

_The next few months, the komodo dragon was feeding the chameleon some baby _

_food._

_But then, the young child tugged on the man's moustache and pulled it off his face._

_The man winced in pain. "Ow…careful there, boy."_

_When the chameleon had turned at least five years old, he began punching a rubber _

_punch bag, sending it flying to the wall. He then turned to his master, who was smiling at _

_him. _

"_Well done, Dihan," said the komodo dragon. "You're becoming a great student."_

"_Thank you, sensei," said Dihan._

_End of Flashback_

Amanda was surprised. "So, let me get this straight. When Dihan was a baby, his

real parents left him on the doorstep of his sensei's house. Then, he took him in and

trained him as a ninja. Right?"

"That's right, Amanda," said Espio. "Dihan loved his sensei like a father and they

were both great at ninjitsu."

"Wow."

"However, one day…something tragic happened."

_Flashback (cont')_

_One day, when Dihan was a teenager, he walked over to his master's room with a _

_cup of tea in his hands._

"_Sensei," he said, knocking on the door. "I brought you your tea, just like you _

_asked."_

_There was no answer._

"_Sensei?" Dihan turned the knob on the door and it suddenly opened. He walked _

_inside the other room, only to find a horrible sight; the old komodo dragon was lying on _

_the floor surrounded by a small puddle of blood._

_The chameleon dropped the cup on the ground and ran to his master. "Sensei!" He _

_tried to wake him up, but it was no use._

_Dihan felt like bursting into tears, until there was a mocking laugh behind him._

_He turned to see a reddish-orange fox with red eyes wearing a green vest and green _

_boots. The creature smirked. "Your old sensei has died because of me. I am Rox, the _

_kitsune of mayhem and death."_

_The chameleon became raged. "You monster! I'll make you pay!" He took out his _

_nunchucks and charged at the kitsune. _

_However, the monster jumped out of the way, making Dihan trip. Then, he used _

_some kind of invisible aura to strike the chameleon. It hit him right in the arm._

_Dihan winced in pain, but then got up to keep attacking the kitsune. He ran to him _

_and began throwing several punches and kicks at him._

_After a little while, both of the humanoid creatures were a bit injured._

_Rox made another smirk. "You insolent helpless child…you must understand that I _

_happen to be one of the most powerful immortal beings in this universe. No one can _

_vanquish me."_

_Dihan gritted his teeth. "If I can't kill you…then I'll just have to seal you in the _

_Forbidden Dimension!" He took out a bright cerulean emerald and shouted the words, _

"_CHAOS CONTROL!!" With that, the gem glowed, creating a warp hole that sucked Rox _

_right in._

"_CURSE YOU!!" the kitsune screamed._

_After he disappeared, the chameleon leaned over his sensei's body and began to _

_weep._

_End of Flashback_

Amanda looked shocked. "He…died?"

Espio nodded. "Dihan had felt really sad for his sensei's death that day."

"Aw…that's so sad."

"Indeed, it is. But, after that, he didn't really feel as lonely as he was when his

sensei was killed."

Amanda was confused. "Really?"

Espio nodded.

_Flashback (cont')_

_About a couple days after the komodo dragon's death, Dihan was still crying on his _

_master's grave. He felt like it was his fault for his master's death._

_Just then, a pink teenaged chameleon-girl was walking down her path while carrying _

_a parasol. She suddenly seemed to notice the chameleon-boy sobbing. _

_She walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir? Why are you crying?"_

_Dihan looked up to see the chameleon girl staring down at him. He wiped his tears_

_and spoke, "My…my sensei…he was killed…all because of that dang kitsune!" He _

_banged his fist on the grave stone and started crying again. "He was like a father to me!"_

_The girl took pity on him. "Oh…I'm so sorry about your misfortune. I know how you _

_feel."_

_Dihan stopped his sobbing. "Y-you do?"_

_The girl nodded. "After my mother died after I was born and my father passed away _

_from scarlet fever, my aunt, Su-Eli…she took great care of me and taught me wonderful _

_things. I always depended on her. However…one day…someone set our house on fire _

_and I was the only one who survived. I've missed her since then."_

_Dihan felt bad about that. "Oh…that's a real shame."_

_The girl nodded. "But, right now, I'm living with the monks."_

_Dihan was confused. "The monks?"_

"_Yes. Their leader found me near my burnt house after the incident and took me into _

_their place." The girl hesitated for a few seconds, but then said, "My name is Mei-Lin. _

_What's yours?"_

"_Dihan."_

"_Say, Dihan, do you want to come with me to my new home?"_

_Dihan was surprised. "Uh…are you sure?"_

"_The monks won't mind. They love visitors, just as long as they don't touch or break _

_any of their possessions." Mei-Lin reached her hand out. "What do you say?"_

_Dihan hesitated, thinking about what to do. If he went with her, he wouldn't have to _

_feel so lonely anymore. So, he said, "Yes. Thank you, Mei-Lin." With that, he gave her _

_his hand and stood up. The two chameleons then ran to see the monks. _

_After a few hours, Dihan and Mei-Lin had made it to a small hut in the middle of the _

_forest. By the door were four men who wore brown cloaks and meditated._

_When they saw the two chameleons walking by, they all stood up and walked over to _

_them._

_Mei-Lin smiled. "Hello, boys."_

_The men bowed politely and said in unison, "Greetings."_

_Mei-Lin turned to her friend. "Dihan, these are the monks; Cao Yung, Le Roy, Fa Pi, _

_and, the leader, Guan Tu."_

_The tallest monk walked up to the chameleon-boy and held out his hand. _

"_Welcome to our home, Dihan the Chameleon."_

_Dihan took his hand and shook it. "Thank you."_

_After they let go, Guan Tu said, "Come. We shall have some tea together."_

_Everyone then walked into the hut._

_End of Flashback_

"And so, the monks and Mei-Lin gave Dihan plenty of company in their home," said

Espio.

"So…that's it?" asked Amanda. "He just stayed with them forever?"

"Well…not forever, but for a while."

_Flashback (cont')_

_When Dihan had reached the age of eighteen, he stared at the sky, thinking of his _

_sensei. He sighed. "Master," he said to himself, "if only you were here, I just wanted to _

_tell you that I'm okay. I've really enjoyed my company with Mei-Lin and the monks. _

_But…now I seem lost. I'm just not sure if I can take this anymore."_

"_Talking to yourself, Dihan?" said a voice behind him._

_The chameleon-boy gasped and turned to see the tallest monk behind him. _

"_Oh…Guan Tu…it's you."_

"_Yes, it is. Mind if I sit down?"_

_Dihan shook his head._

_Guan Tu sat down and spoke. "You are planning on leaving?"_

_Dihan was surprised to hear that. "Um…well…"_

"_It is alright. But…may I ask why?"_

_Dihan sighed. "Well…my sensei was the only family I'd ever known. He gave me _

_so much ninja training and kept me healthy and alive. And…I just don't feel comfortable _

_sitting around and doing nothing. I mean—"_

"_I understand, Dihan. You want to go somewhere where you can be free. Now, I'm _

_not saying whether you should leave or not, but…someone would be very sad if you did." _

"_Who?"_

"_Mei-Lin."_

"_Mei-Lin?"_

_Guan Tu nodded. "She is in love with you."_

_Dihan was surprised. "She is?"_

"_I can tell by the way she looks at you. She is afraid to tell you though because she _

_thinks you don't feel the same way as her."_

_Dihan was speechless at first, but said, "I…I didn't think about that."_

"_Dihan…the choice is yours. You could either leave and carry on your life as a _

_carefree ninja or you could stay and ask Mei-Lin how much she really cares about you. _

_Think about it." With that, Guan Tu had walked away, leaving Dihan outside._

_End of Flashback_

"What did he do?" asked Amanda. "Did he leave or stay?"

"Hold on a sec, Amanda," said Espio. "I was just coming to that."

_Flashback (cont')_

_The next morning, Mei-Lin was in her room, reading a book. _

_Just then, Dihan came inside the room and spoke, "Mei-Lin?"_

_The girl looked up at the boy and put her book down. "Oh, Dihan. Hello."_

"_Hi. Listen…I have something to tell you."_

"_What is it?"_

_Dihan walked closer to Mei-Lin and sat beside her. "Mei-Lin…I've really enjoyed _

_staying here with the monks and you and I'm truly grateful for your hospitality."_

_Mei-Lin smiled. "Thank you."_

_Dihan's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "But…I'm afraid I can't stay here _

_anymore."_

_When Mei-Lin heard that, she became worried. "What? W-why? Did I do _

_something to make you upset?" She sounded like she was about to cry._

_Dihan saw her expression. "No! Mei-Lin, don't cry. You did nothing wrong, I _

_swear."_

_Mei-Lin then felt relieved and sniffled. "Oh…then why?"_

_Dihan sighed. "It's just that…I was raised as a ninja and it's my destiny to carry my _

_life as one. I want to travel everywhere and be able to teach new apprentices my skills, _

_just like my sensei did with me."_

"_But…do you really have to leave?" A tear suddenly fell from Mei-Lin's eye._

_Dihan took pity on her and reached his hand out to wipe her tear with his thumb. _

_He made a small smile. "Well, I can't possibly go alone." _

_Mei-Lin was confused. "Huh?"_

"_I want you to come with me, Mei-Lin."_

_The chameleon-girl hesitated. "Dihan…I don't know about this. The monks are _

_like family to me and…I could never leave them."_

_Dihan put his hands on Mei-Lin's face. "Not even for this?" He leaned in and put _

_his lips on hers._

_The girl's eyes widened when he did. She then closed her eyes and returned his _

_kiss._

_Dihan broke away and faced Mei-Lin._

_The girl blushed. "Dihan…"_

_The chameleon-boy's smile grew wider. "You love me, don't you?"_

_Mei-Lin hesitated at first, but answered, "Y-yes."_

"_You didn't have to be scared, you could've just asked me."_

"_Well…I wasn't sure if you loved me too…do you?"_

_Dihan nodded. "I do."_

_Mei-Lin gasped and hugged Dihan in her arms while silently weeping with joy. _

"_Then, I'll come with you."_

_End of Flashback_

"And so," said Espio, "after Mei-Lin and Dihan said goodbye to the monks, they

traveled their way from the forest and eventually found a home in Station Square. They

also got married and had their first-born child."

"Aw!" said Amanda. "That's so cute!"

Espio smiled. "It is. But, do you know who the child was?"

"No, who?"

"Me."

Amanda was shocked. "You, Daddy?"

Espio nodded.

"So, wait…if you're Dihan's son, then…does that make him my…?"

"That's right, Amanda. Dihan the Chameleon was your grandfather."

"Why didn't I know that before?"

Espio sighed. "He died before you were even born."

"Him too?"

"Yes…unfortunately. But, getting back to the part where I'm born…"

_Flashback (cont')_

_Mei-Lin was holding a small magenta chameleon-boy in her arms. She smiled. _

"_Aw…he has your eyes."_

_Dihan looked down at his new son. "Oh, yeah. He does." He took the little boy, _

_smiled at him, and nuzzled his horn with his. "He shall be known as Espio. Named after _

_the Japanese word, 'spy'."_

_Mei-Lin's eyes lit up. "Dihan, that's perfect!"_

_When Espio had turned seven, he and his father learned a lot of tricks and martial _

_art moves._

_The young chameleon took out his shurikens and threw them at the targets._

_Then, he suddenly turned invisible and snuck behind his father. He then turned _

_visible again and pounced on Dihan._

_The man laughed. "Oh, Espio, you got me."_

"_I knew I would," said the young chameleon._

_Dihan suddenly grabbed his son and noogied his head. "Come on, who's your _

_daddy? Huh, who is he?" _

_Espio groaned. "You are, now let me go!" He tried to escape from his father's _

_clutches, until he finally pushed him and began to wrestle him._

_The two chameleons laughed as they continued to tumble._

_End of Flashback_

"So, everything turned out great until Grandpa died, right?" asked Amanda.

"Actually…no," said Espio. "One day, my parents had a huge argument that they

decided to…split up."

Amanda was confused. "Split up? What does that mean?"

"W-well…it's kind of hard to explain…"

_Flashback (cont')_

"_I can't take this anymore, Dihan!" Mei-Lin argued with her husband. "Espio needs _

_to learn more than just ninjitsu! He has to learn to be a normal boy."_

"_Mei-Lin," said Dihan, "being a ninja __**is**__ normal!" _

"_It's too dangerous! He could end up getting hurt or worse!"_

"_Espio's old enough to take care of himself."_

"_He's only ten! He's still young!"_

_Dihan groaned. "You worry too much!"_

"_I do not! I'm just concerned about our son's safety. He soon needs to have a _

_qualified job, like you do now."_

"_Yes, but why psychiatry?! I didn't want that job!"_

"_It was the only one that could help us pay our bills."_

"_But still…you could've taken that job instead of me."_

"_Dihan, you're more into that then I am."_

"_But—"_

"_Enough with the buts! I don't know why, but somehow, I wished that I hadn't_

_married you!" _

_Dihan gasped in horror. "Well, if that's what you really think, then maybe you _

_should just leave!"_

"_Fine, I will! But, Espio's coming with me!"_

"_No, he's staying here to practice more of his ninjitsu!"_

_As the two adults continued to argue, the little chameleon boy saw them from _

_behind a door and felt sad._

_End of Flashback _

Espio sighed. "That's when I decided to…stay with my father."

"Then…Grandma left?" asked Amanda.

Espio nodded. "She did. I don't what happened to her, but I never heard from her

again."

"Oh…that's too bad."

"Yeah…but we didn't worry about it too much after that. Your grandfather took

great care of me and, as I grew older, my ninja skills had mastered because of him."

"Wow. Did you have any apprentices before I was born?"

"Well…actually…I did have one apprentice when I was turning seventeen."

"Really? Who was it?"

"Your mother."

Amanda was surprised. "Mommy?"

"Yes. She was a great student of mine. Scared at first, but her courage began to

develop as she faced many dangers. I remember back when I first met her."

_Flashback (cont')_

_Espio's POV_

_I was practicing my shamisen in a quiet forest. Everything was so peaceful, until _

_I heard a voice shout, _"_This is so suckish! No matter what I do, I always mess up. I _

_want to be a __real __ninja and be trained with a __real__ mentor in a __real __training program!"_

_When I heard those words, I decided to turn into my camouflage form and see _

_what was going on. I climbed out of the bushes to the other side of the forest where I saw _

_a purple cat-girl holding a lime-green kunai._

_I stopped when she was about to creep up to the bushes to find me, but she didn't _

_see me there because I was right next to her._

"_That's weird," she said. "I could've sworn I heard something."_

_I tapped on her shoulder, which made her shriek and almost strike me with the _

_kunai. I grabbed her weapon and held it._

_The girl was scared at first, considering the fact that I was invisible. She screamed, _

"_No! Not another ghost!"_

_I was surprised. "Ghost? Miss, there's no such thing as ghosts." I then turned _

_visible again so she would see me. _

"_How'd you do that?" the girl asked me._

"_I'm a chameleon," I answered. "I have the ability to blend into my surroundings, _

_which turns myself invisible."_

"_Oh, that's right. I forgot."_

_I handed the girl her kunai. "You…nearly stabbed me with this."_

_The girl took the kunai. "Sorry, but you sort of startled me."_

"_It's alright. My name's Espio the Chameleon. __I'm a well-skilled ninja and a _

_spy of the Chaotix Detective Agency."_

"_D-did you just say…'ninja'?"_

"_Yes, why?"_

"_No particular reason."_

"_Oh. And you are…?"_

"_Salley Hallivan."_

"_Please to meet you, Salley." Salley and I shook hands. "So, what are you doing out _

_here by yourself?"_

"_Oh, I'm…uh, just working on my training program."_

"_Training program?"_

"_Yeah. To become a ninja, like you. However, I haven't really been successful lately."_

_I turned to see Salley's messed-up training program. "Hmm…I see."_

"_Yeah, I know. Even my mentor's not so good."_

_I saw the dummy and scratched his head. "Well, if I were you, I would probably ask_

_for an advanced ninja to be your mentor. There are a lot of them that can teach young _

_apprentices, including me. Thanks to my training, of course."_

"_Wow."__I then saw Salley kneel down to the ground. "Please, I want to be nothing _

_more than a great ninja. And I need a mentor for that, so I ask for your teachings. I'll do _

_anything you ask."_

_When I heard that, I smiled. "So, you really want to be a ninja?"_

"_Yes, really badly."_

"_Well, all I can say is, you've come to the right guy. I'll teach you." I took Salley's hand _

_and helped her up." _**(A/N: This is a flashback from "When Two Ninjas Meet.)**

_End of Flashback_

Normal POV

"No…way!" said Amanda.

"Yes way," said Espio. "Your mother and I had so much fun doing ninja training

together. We both even worked as partners at the Chaotix Detective Agency."

"Did you fall in love with her then?"

"Yep. She and I were boyfriend and girlfriend for four years and then we got married

and had you."

Amanda smiled, but then frowned. "But…what happened to Grandpa?"

Espio sighed. "It was one of the worst days of my life. Your other grandfather, Rome

the Wolf, he tried to kidnap your mother, but he had to hire someone to do that."

"Who?"

"Rox…he escaped from the Forbidden Dimension to work for Rome."

_Flashback (cont')_

_Espio's POV_

_When I was injured, I saw my father get beat up by Rox. I had to do something to save _

_him, so I tried to get up._

_However, Salley stopped me and said, __"__Espio, don't. You're still hurt."_

"_But I can't let Rox beat up my father!" I said._

"_I'll take care of it." Salley ran into the fight._

"_Salley, no!" I tried to stop her, but she didn't listen. The cat-girl grabbed Rox's tail with _

_a tight grip. That made the kitsune let go of my father. _

_He panted and looked at Salley. "What are you doing?" _

"_I'm trying to help," said Salley. She then let go of the tail and took out her shurukins. _

_Rox tried to attack her, but she jumped up and swung her weapons at him. It scratched_

_both of his arms._

_Then, Salley cried out, "Shurukin Spin!" She formed into a ball and aimed at Rox._

_Her attack was blocked because he used lightning and shocked her. Salley fell to the _

_ground, feeling weak. She also fell unconscious._

_Rox then took out his dagger. "Say goodbye." He had charged near Salley while holding _

_his weapon. He struck it, but not at Salley._

_Instead, it hit my father. Blood was flowing from his stomach and he could hardly breath. _

_He then fell down._

_When I saw this, I was shocked. "FATHER!!" I ran to him, knelt down, and tried to shake _

_him awake. "No, Father." Tears filled my eyes. "Please, wake up."_

_My father slowly opened his eyes and stirred. I was relieved to see that he was still awake._

"_I had a feeling that this would happen," said my father in a hoarse voice. "Rox tried to_

_hurt Salley just so he could kill me." He groaned in pain. "A very conniving plan."_

"_Dad," I cried, "why? Why did you do it?"_

"_Because I know how much you love and care about Salley. And I'd feel so terrible if I _

_saw her get killed and you'd be heartbroken." My father stroked my cheek. "I don't ever _

_want to see you like that."_

_More tears rolled down my face. "Father, please. I can't live without you." I placed my _

_hands on my father's face. "You're the only family member that I have left."_

_My father removed my hands and held them in his. "I'm very sorry…but I'm afraid…it's _

_too late for me. What's done is done and we can't undo it. You're a great ninja, Espio, _

_and I trained you so well. Now, it's up to you to do your part on your own."_

_I felt that my heart was aching. "Father…"_

_My father made a slight smile. "Do everything you can to help your friends, especially _

_Salley. Protect her with all your strength and make sure that no harm comes to her." He _

_gasped for air. "And promise me…that you'll never…forget me." He put his hand on _

_my face once more. "I love you…my son…" With his last words, his hand slipped off of _

_my face and he slowly closed his eyes. He was truly dead._

_I was so heartbroken. "Father!" I tried to wake my father up, but couldn't. "Father…no!" _

_I covered his eyes with my hands and cried. I had never felt so grieved with pain in my _

_entire life. _**(A/N: Again, a flashback, but this time, from "A Kitsune's Mayhem".)**

_End of Flashback_

Normal POV

Amanda gasped. "Rox killed him, too?"

"Yes…" said Espio, sadly.

"What happened after that? Did you seal him back to the Forbidden Dimension?"

"No."

"Did you kill him?"

"No…but someone else did."

"Then, who did?"

"Your third cousin, Bone."

Amanda's eyes lit up. "Cousin Bone?"

"Yes. He stabbed Rox in the back with his sword and that's how he died."

"Oh my…Daddy, you won't get killed by anyone, will you?"

Espio chuckled. "No, sweetie. Don't you worry. I'm staying alive and so are you

and your mother."

"Are you gonna teach me ninja skills just like the others?"

Espio rubbed Amanda's head. "You'd bet so, Amanda. When you become a

teenager, that's when I'll give you the training."

Amanda smiled. "You know what? I think I'm feeling better already."

Espio smiled back at his daughter. "That's what I wanted to hear from my little girl."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Get a little bit of sleep, it'll help you feel better

even more."

"Okay." Amanda yawned. "Thanks for the story, Daddy."

"Sure thing. I love you."

"I love you, too." With that, Amanda closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Espio walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He then turned to

see his wife, Salley, walked down the hallway. "Hey, dear."

Salley turned to him and smiled. "Hi, sweetheart." She walked over to him and

kissed his lips. They then broke away and she asked, "Is Amanda alright?"

"She's starting to feel better, I helped her a little bit."

"Really? What did you do?"

"I told her a story about ninjas."

Salley smiled wider and hugged her husband. "You're a good father, Espio. I'm

proud of you."

Espio hugged her back. "Thanks, Salley." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Come on, let's go make some coffee." Salley and Espio walked away from the

door of Amanda's bedroom, letting her sleep peacefully.

The End

**Well, that's it. Sorry about the long wait. At least this one-shot was shorter than "Tragic **

**Memories". Next story is "Wolf Reunions", where you get to meet two new characters that were **

**mentioned in "Tragic Memories". Please, R&R.**


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